Cavendish Pianos - a new era for British piano makers

“I’m sorry we do not have such a thing as an English Piano”.
These are the words Adam and Charlie Cox, a husband and wife team
running Yorkshire Pianos, found themselves saying to many of their
customers looking for a new piano.
“People grew up with British pianos at school and at home and we find
that when people come to buy their own piano they are often looking
for that mellow sound that they grew up with”, says Charlie.
When the Kemble factory closed in Milton Keynes a few years ago, it
sounded the death knell for British pianos making. It was the last
remaining factory and when the gates closed for the final time skilled
workers, some of whom had been involved in the piano industry all
their lives, found themselves with nowhere to turn.
“We felt we had no choice but to either lose British Piano
manufacturing forever, or try to resurrect the art of making pianos in
Britain” says Adam.
Having traded for 15 years in Leeds as Headingley Pianos, the team
searched for new premises to not only act as showroom, but also as
piano manufacturing base. They looked at shops, industrial units,
church-halls… even a church! After well over a year’s searching they
had almost given up looking.
“Then one day I was on a bike ride to Bolton Abbey” says Adam “I knew
immediately it was the right place for us as I peered through a window
and saw a large barn of a room. What an acoustic I thought!”
Of course when they took it on it is was more like barn than a piano
showroom and workshop but with the use of a bank loan and the help of
local Wharfedale firms they were able to transform it and it is now
perfect for their needs.
“Lots of people ask if it was originally a church or chapel” says John
Spencer, head technician, “reclaimed ecclesiastical panelling and
doors were used in the conversion but it was built originally as a
forge.” Situated just off the busy A59 at the foot of Beamsley Beacon
with wonderful views in all directions it’s certainly an inspiring
place to work.
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire paid them a visit early on and were
interested and then excited at the prospect of a piano shop and
manufacturing base on their estate at Bolton Abbey.
“They have backed our project every step of the way so we felt
‘Cavendish’ was the perfect name for our pianos, being the Duke and
Duchess’ family name. Without their kind patronage none of this would
have been possible”, says Charlie.

“We often talk in orchestral terms when describing piano sound. We are
looking for woodwind with undertones of strings rather than brass.”
“Price-wise things are starting to go full circle” says Charlie. The
days of cheap far Eastern pianos are ending as their manufacturing
costs are steadily going up (some Chinese pianos have almost doubled
in cost in the last few years) and shipping prices are soaring. We
find ourselves in the position where British goods actually can
compete with far eastern goods in the UK.
“Unlike microwave ovens, pianos are one of those things that are
better used in their country of origin” says Adam “They are very
susceptible to climate changes. After all, you have to remember they
are a complicated wooden machine which has been made in the same way
for a hundred years."

They have already had interest from many quarters and are just
managing to keep up with orders at the moment. Cavendish pianos are
even being well received in China explains Adam, "we exhibited at the
enormous Shanghai Music Fair last year which was a real eye-opener.
There is such a great appetite for quality pianos in China." Export to
China now makes up a large part of Cavendish sales.
"We have been involved with pianos all our working lives - they
are just such beautiful things! We feel proud to be making them"
say Adam and Charlie. It seems to me they have a right to feel
proud producing pianos in Yorkshire using not just traditional
skills, but love.

There is no shortage of skilled workers in the
piano industry and allied trades in this country. In fact, many
components are still made here and exported all over the globe for
piano making abroad.
“We felt it was crazy that British expertise was being used to make
the highest quality components for the piano industry and yet no
finished products were being made in this country” says Adam. For
example, Hainsworth in Leeds produce cloth and felt used in the
manufacture of many German pianos such as Steinway.
“Their quality is second to none and they’re on our doorstep while
people are buying pianos manufactured in the Far East!”
As one of the oldest companies in the UK (established 1783) Hainsworth
certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to textiles and their
knowhow and heritage is legendary in the piano trade. It's no
coincidence that one of the leading woollen mills should be in Leeds,
famous throughout the world for its history of textile production. It
was however coincidental that their wood source, British Hardwoods,
should be based in the Yorkshire Dales.
Also their supplier of wood finishes is near the traditional cabinet
making town of Thirsk. Silchrome Plating in Leeds, founded in 1949,
work in everything from aerospace to classic cars. Cox says "We
quickly started to realise we were not making ‘British pianos’ but
‘Yorkshire Pianos’.
“We were not using Yorkshire firms as a gimmick or because we liked
the idea but simply because they are the best in their field.”
Surrounded by pianos in various states of construction, John Spencer,
head technician at Yorkshire Pianos, sits down at a newly finished
Cavendish piano. “Of course the sound is the important thing” says
Spencer. “We are looking for that rounded, European tone that is part
of British piano heritage.” Spencer plays a smooth sounding chord then
moves over to a well known Far Eastern made piano and does the same.
The difference is staggering!

The Cavendish team

The team with Jamie Cullum

Adam CoxManaging Director

Charlotte & Adam are partners in the
family firm which began in 1990 as Headingley Pianos and later moved
out of Leeds to become Yorkshire Pianos. With over 20 years experience
in the piano trade they have always wanted to build pianos and in many
ways this is the realisation of a dream.

Chris FoxtonHead Cabinet Maker

Chris is a skilled cabinetmaker based in
Otley, West Yorkshire. He has a lifetime's experience working in fine
woods and veneers.

Adam ConnollyApprentice Piano Maker

Adam joined on the apprentice scheme in
2010 after a training in joinery. He has quickly learned many of the
skills of piano making and is a skilled technician.

Jason WinderFurniture Maker

Jason Winder is a designer maker who
creates furniture, fitted cabinetry and high quality woodwork that is
carefully designed with functionality in mind and beautifully made
using locally sourced materials. Sustainability and the highest
respect for nature are at the core of all products from conception to
completion. A young design graduate who is undergoing an
apprenticeship in furniture making has brought his own
up-to-the-minute style to the North Yorkshire furniture firm where he
is being trained.
Jason, 25, has launched a contemporary mid-century style range of
pieces for bespoke design specialists Designermakers in Nidderdale.

John SpencerHead Piano Technician

John Spencer is a Bluthner trained
technician and went on to build pianos with Laurence and Nash in
Otley. He has a wealth of experience in piano building and rebuilding.
He joined Yorkshire pianos in 2002 and oversees production of
Cavendish Pianos.

Jackie BarronPiano Technician

Jackie started working with us in 1998. She
qualified with a scholorship at Leeds Music College as a Piano
Technician and is regarded as one of the country's best piano
regulators and fly finishers.

Barney UnwinString Maker

Barney... ...playing the piano since
1969... ...tuning and repairing pianos since 1982... ...making bass
strings since 1992... ...Member of the Pianoforte Tuners Association
since 1997.

Joe EllisTechnician

After a degree in sound engineering Joe
attended the Advanced Piano Tuning and Repair Course at Newark College
where he qualified with flying colours. Joe is building on his skills
learning the art of piano making. We are pleased to be able to offer
work to Newark graduates and hope that we can build a relationship of
work placement and experience with the college thus helping to
preserve the endangered art of piano building in Britain..

Charlie CoxFinancial Director

David WilsonPiano Designer

Originally educated as a design engineer
with 15 years experience, David turned a life-long interest in
furniture making into a new career in 2003 after training at Leeds
College of Art and Design. Well grounded in traditional and modern
furniture making materials and techniques, David's passion is for
applying a clean-lined engineering approach to his designs while still
creating superbly crafted furniture, always without compromise.Dovetailors

Emmanuel Vass BMus(Hons), CT ABRSM, DipABRSMPiano Consultant

Emmanuel is an up and coming young concert
pianist named as Yamaha's artist of the month. He has helped develop
the Cavendish piano sound and is well aware of the needs of performing
artists.